Lee Jae-myung's Side Notifies "Difficult to Attend on the 4th"... Prosecution Requests "Cooperation with Regular Judicial Procedures"

Reversal of Position on the "Prepared Comprehensive Investigation Progress" Policy

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea and a suspect in bribery charges related to the Ssangbangwool Group's 'illegal remittance to North Korea' case, reversed his position on attending the prosecution's summons on the 4th. This decision came after the prosecution rejected Lee's side's request to be investigated for only two hours in the morning due to afternoon commitments on the 4th.

The prosecution urged Lee's side to comply with the criminal justice procedures regarding the attendance and investigation of a typical suspect.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held in the hunger strike tent in front of the National Assembly main building on the 1st. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

On the 1st, a Suwon District Prosecutors' Office official stated, "Yesterday, we once again requested Lee Jae-myung's legal counsel to appear for questioning on the 4th, when there is no National Assembly plenary session scheduled, but the counsel informed us that 'attendance on the 4th is impossible, and he will appear between the 11th and 15th.'

The official added, "This morning, Lee's counsel contacted the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office investigation team and, contrary to their previous stance, notified that 'Lee will appear on the 4th and be questioned for only two hours in the morning, but due to National Assembly commitments in the afternoon, he cannot be further questioned, and the remaining investigation will be conducted between the 11th and 15th.' We informed the counsel that the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office cannot halt the investigation after only two hours on the 4th morning and intends to proceed with the full planned investigation."

He continued, "Later this afternoon, Lee's counsel again notified the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office that 'Lee's attendance on the 4th is difficult.' The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office expects Lee to comply with the criminal justice procedures regarding the attendance and investigation of a typical suspect as originally requested for the 4th."

Earlier that morning, Kang Sun-woo, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, told reporters at the National Assembly, "Lee reaffirmed his commitment to perform his duties normally even as he begins a hunger strike with a resolve of life or death," and "he reiterated his intention to confidently respond to the prosecution's investigation."

He stated, "Lee will attend the prosecution's summons on the 4th as insisted by the prosecution. However, considering unavoidable scheduling conflicts, he plans to undergo the first round of questioning in the morning on the 4th and negotiate with the prosecution to conduct additional questioning during the following week."

Spokesperson Kang also said, "If coordinated with the prosecution, Lee will hold the Supreme Council meeting on the same day and then immediately appear at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office," adding, "He plans to finish the morning questioning on the 4th and depart at an appropriate time to attend the International Joint Conference for the Withdrawal of Fukushima Contaminated Water Ocean Dumping at 2:30 p.m."

Tensions have continued between the prosecution and Lee's side over the schedule for Lee's fifth summons for investigation since his presidential election defeat.

Previously, Lee received a summons from the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Criminal Division 6 (Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-nam) on August 23, requesting his appearance on August 30. Lee expressed willingness to appear on August 24 or 26, but the prosecution rejected this.

Lee's side refused to appear on August 30 and notified they would attend between September 11 and 15, but the prosecution requested attendance on September 4 on August 28. Initially, Lee's side stated they could not appear on the 4th but later changed their position to comply with the 4th summons, requesting to be questioned for only two hours in the morning. The prosecution, however, found it difficult to accept this request.

Ultimately, Lee's side notified the prosecution that he would not appear on the 4th, making the timing of his investigation uncertain. Additionally, Lee's commencement of a hunger strike from the previous day is expected to be a complicating factor.

The Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance suspicion involves former Ssangbangwool Group Chairman Kim Sung-tae allegedly sending a total of 8 million USD to North Korea in 2019. This included 5 million USD for a North Korean smart farm support project that Gyeonggi Province was supposed to fund at the request of former Gyeonggi Peace Deputy Governor Lee Hwa-young, and 3 million USD for the then-Governor Lee Jae-myung's visit to North Korea, as demanded by the North Korean side. The prosecution recently booked Lee on charges of third-party bribery, suspecting his involvement in Ssangbangwool's payment on his behalf.

Lee Hwa-young, who was arrested and indicted on charges of receiving bribes and political funds from former Chairman Kim, had denied the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance allegations but partially reversed her testimony during a prosecution investigation in June, stating that she "requested Ssangbangwool to promote the governor's visit to North Korea."

She also reportedly testified that she "reported to Lee that Ssangbangwool spent money in North Korea while doing business, and that we (the governor's office) probably took an interest as well."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.